Texas has seen the future of the public library, and it looks a lot like an Apple Store: Rows of glossy iMacs beckon. iPads mounted on a tangerine-colored bar invite readers. And hundreds of other tablets stand ready for checkout to anyone with a borrowing card.

Even the librarians imitate Apple's dress code, wearing matching shirts and that standard-bearer of geek-chic, the hoodie. But this $2.3 million library might be most notable for what it does not have â€” any actual books.

That makes Bexar County's BibiloTech the nation's only bookless public library, a distinction that has attracted scores of digital bookworms, plus emissaries from as far away as Hong Kong who want to learn about the idea and possibly take it home....

Chris Frost wrote:I still prefer physical books for most of my reading. The ability to highlight, write notes, and quickly flip to given passages just can't be duplicated with an e-reader. There is also the issue of obsolescence....when the file type that your books are published in is finally replaced by something newer and shinier, your entire library disappears. VHS, anyone? But my biggest concern is the fragility of the whole platform/system...when the power goes out for good, (and that day is coming), you got a whole lot of nothing.

Good comment Chris. Of course, ever since Amstrad brought out their first computer with DOS, the whole thing has been a never-satisfied money-making machine, with built-in obsolescence, ensuring a continual flood of excessive dollars into the fat cat's pockets.

I have a perfectly good XP Home OS on my aging laptop. But what is Microsoft doing this year? Ceasing essential security updates. So I can either carry on and risk a security breach, or invest in an entirely new system. Or, I can leap for freedom off the technology bandwagon, and say, "To Hades with your inventions!" And be better off financially.

Thank you for answering my question Jim. As a bibliophile (I'm going to make you guys look that up in a dictionary, LOL) myself I love a paperback book, but I have an iPod and I have the iBooks app and it is so cool to be able to carry my library in my pocket.

I still prefer physical books for most of my reading. The ability to highlight, write notes, and quickly flip to given passages just can't be duplicated with an e-reader. There is also the issue of obsolescence....when the file type that your books are published in is finally replaced by something newer and shinier, your entire library disappears. VHS, anyone? But my biggest concern is the fragility of the whole platform/system...when the power goes out for good, (and that day is coming), you got a whole lot of nothing.

JDHY from Florida writes:There is no substitute for holding a book in your hand.

I would have argued that but...I have an ebook reader and it's quite wonderful. If you have a kindle you can say download whatever book you fancy reading ( many Christian books are free) and be reading within minutes. I am quite picky about the books I read and it would otherwise take me ages to track down say a Puritan hard back, but not with kindle. You really do get used to it. My only concern is that someone could tamper with the content which could be catastrophic for serious bible readers.